Mountain Workshop 2021-2022 Handbook - For Volunteers

Mountain Workshop
2021-2022 Handbook
    For Volunteers

ABOUT MOUNTAIN WORKSHOPS

Our Mountain Workshops are programs we run with other youth serving
agencies in Western Washington. It’s important to create a strong lasting
relationship with all of the groups that come to our programs. Here are some
tips and tricks for a successful partnership

WORKING WITH PARTNER AGENCIES

       Recognize many of these youth have never had the opportunity to
        climb, or have the transportation to leave city limit, have never been
        in snow before, so explain the basics: safety, snow conditions, wild
        life, etc.

       Explain what the noises they are hearing are, and why they aren’t
        dangerous : i.e. the chains in the indoor climbing wall make a lot of
        noise and scare kids, ropes moving over holds and bolts do the same
        thing.

       Language barriers—sometimes it takes longer to explain things to
        youth when English is not the first language — but it’s important to
        treat youth with respect, not belittle them or talk down to them. Be
        patient, don’t yell at them because you think they don’t understand,
        ask questions, and be excited to build an awesome diverse
        community of people who are enjoying the outdoors!

MAP FUND—FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE AND TRANSPORTATION
SUBSIDY

Our goal with our Mountain Workshops is to provide access to the wilderness
to as many youth as possible in Western Washington. We recognize that
transportation and funding limits which groups are able to come to our
programs, so we have a financial aid program for any group that needs it.

ENSURING SUCCESS DURING A PROGRAM FOR BOTH
PARTICIPANTS AND GROUP LEADERS

       Make the program fun (and safe!)
       Explain technical systems to youth (climbing, chains, noise)
       Empower youth to learn (tie knots, teach, belay)
       Give leaders opportunities to participate (keep them engaged)
       Check in with leaders (explain their role, and support)

   Have group leaders split groups up beforehand

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITY

PROGRAM LEADER

The Program Leader may be Mountaineers Staff or a Branch Volunteer. This
is the person who sets up the program with the partner agency, manages
the agreement and develops the curriculum. The Program Leader is the “go-
to” for the program.

PARTNER AGENCY CONTACT

The Partner Agency Contact is the person at the partner agency who sets up
the program with The Mountaineers, manages the agreement and helps to
develop the curriculum. This person communicates their program goals to
the Program Leader so that we can create a program that best meets their
needs.

CHAPERONES

In most cases partner agencies are required to provide 1 chaperone per 10
students. The chaperones are the primary supervisors of the youth
participants—they are responsible for behavior management, helping youth
with lunches, supervising bathroom runs, etc. In cases where youth in the
program are highly traumatized or have developmental disabilities, partner
agencies are expected to provide trained chaperones (social workers,
therapists, paraprofessionals)

INSTRUCTORS

Instructors are typically Mountaineers volunteers, occasionally with staff
support. Mountaineers Instructors are responsible for teaching curriculum
and maintaining a safe environment. They are responsible for ensuring youth
participants and chaperones understand safety rules and precautions, and
for teaching safe practices.

POLICIES

ELECTRONICS

Cell phones, music, and video games are typically not a part of Mountain
Workshops. They detract from the wilderness experience and from the
community. Youth are encouraged to leave all electronics out of sight (or at
home) during Mountaineers programs. Youth who choose to use cell phones
for pictures may do so as long as it creates no disruption of the wilderness
experience for others. The Mountaineers is not responsible for any lost,
stolen or damaged electronics.

WEAPONS

Weapons, which include knives with blades longer than 3”, are never
permitted on any Mountain Workshops activity. Youth who are found with
weapons will have the weapon confiscated by Mountaineers Staff and will be
dismissed from the program without refund.

DRUGS, ALCOHOL, AND TOBACCO

Drugs (including marijuana), alcohol and tobacco are never permitted on any
Mountain Workshops activity. Youth who have or are under the influence of
these will be sent home immediately and dismissed from the program
without refund.

MEDICATION

Any medication administration for youth in Mountain Workshops will be
handled by the chaperones in the partner agency.

VOLUNTEERS

Mountain Workshops rely on volunteers to provide our youth participants
with the best possible mentorship to help them develop technical skills,
leadership skills and competence in the outdoors. All volunteers play a vital
role in the success of our program. THANK YOU for volunteering!

FOOD

Volunteers should plan to bring their own lunches and snacks.

DOGS

Dogs are not allowed at any Mountain Workshops activity.

DRUGS

We have a strict “no drugs, alcohol, or tobacco” policy that we ask all
volunteers to adhere to while you’re volunteering.

LANGUAGE

Please use appropriate language and keep comments and stories “PG”, even
if you are only talking to other adult volunteers. We are committed to a
diverse and inclusive program. This means that we welcome participants and
volunteers of all backgrounds, religious beliefs, ethnicities, vocations, family
models, and lifestyles. We ask that volunteers and staff acknowledge this
diversity and refrain from conversations that may be perceived as offensive
to others.

QUALIFIED YOUTH LEADERS

All Mountain Workshops volunteers must be Qualified Youth Leaders. To do
this, visit https://www.mountaineers.org/youth/resources-and-
faqs/volunteer-with-youth.

PLANNING AND ARRIVAL

Volunteers should register as an instructor on our website. You will receive
an email from the activity leader in advance of the program, confirming your
availability and providing any details about timing and what to bring. In
general, volunteers arrive 30 minutes before the kids and receive an
orientation from the activity leader. Because every group serves a unique
population and comes with different goals and expectations, the activity
leader will provide some background and help volunteers understand who
the kids are and how best to support their learning.

PHOTO POLICY

Because some families prefer not to have photos of their children publicly
available, and because some of the youth in our programs come from
unstable home situations, we need to be sensitive about not posting photos
in public forums. It’s important that photos ONLY be shared with the group
participants and Mountaineers Staff. Mountaineers Staff will only use photos

of youth whose parents have granted permission to use their photos.

OUTDOOR MOUNTAIN WORKSHOPS SPECIAL SAFETY
CONSIDERATIONS

Many of our Mountain Workshops are run off site at local outdoor venues.
These outings can include a trip to exit 38 to rock climb, a hike on the I-90
corridor and trips to parks in Seattle, or a snowshoe trip. These trips are an
opportunity for groups to use the skills they learned with us at a program
center in a wilderness setting.

GROUP MANAGEMENT

Because participants are often unfamiliar with wilderness settings, it’s
important to be intentional about facilitating a safe environment, and helping
kids feel comfortable. When you are on a hike, put someone at the front,
middle and sweep. Create a common language, like “red light, yellow light,
green light”, when you need the group to stop. At the climbing area, make
sure the group and gear is off the main path, and we are sharing ropes and
rock with other people in the area.

CLIMBING

Set a mandatory helmet zone where everyone (including adults) has to wear
a helmet. Usually this area includes the crag, and 30ft on either edge of the
set climbing area. This helps protect participants from rock fall, or any head
and neck hazards you could run into.

Often crags are not in an area that has good space to sit, or hang out. Point
out potential cliffs or dangerous areas to walk. At exit 38, for example, there
are many places a person could step off a cliff or ledge.

HIKES

Make sure folks are wearing appropriate shoes, have at least one full water
bottle, and someone in the group has snacks/lunch. Appoint someone to be
the Toast Master, who stops the group at various times during the hike to
assure people drink water (they make a toast to something and everyone
takes a few sips of water).

The biggest injury on hikes are usually twisted ankles or scraped knees. Tell
youth to watch where they are walking, avoid stepping on roots and loose
rock, and be careful walking downhill.

Make sure the group is aware of how fast they are walking. You want to
stick together as much as possible, which might be a challenge for people
who walk at different speeds. A tip is to have the slowest person lead the
group for a leg of the hike. You don’t have to do this for the whole hike, but
it gives everyone the opportunity to slow down (people often forget that the
hike down and take just as much energy as the hike up). Bring an arsenal of
games, and stop to play a game when kids are getting tired (camouflage,
Minute Mysteries, etc.)

CHAPERONES

Having an appropriate ratio of chaperones to students is especially important
for these outings. Chaperones are really responsible for student behavior,
and managing the group. As a facilitator/instructor you are responsible for
managing the safety of the students in the activity they are doing.
Chaperones should handle the bulk of any behavioral issue or group dynamic
issue.

** It’s also important to know that many of the chaperones do not have any
more experience with the outdoors than their youth, so while they are
responsible for managing the youth, they might not be able to manage
themselves. Be aware that you will also be teaching them many of the skills
such as going to the bathroom in the wilderness, animals, bugs, and all of
the things experienced outdoors people know.

EDIBLE PLANTS

Our policy is that unless you (the staff or volunteer) absolutely know what
the fruit or edible is, then do not eat it. We suggest that you avoid eating
anything in the wild with groups, as we don’t want to encourage them to test
the limits of the wilderness. During huckleberry season, or if there are other
exciting opportunities to explore edible plants, it’s imperative to stress that
many wild fruits are poisonous and kids should never eat anything unless an
adult they trust knows it’s safe.

BATHROOMS

Bathrooms are not available at most of the places we go (you may find a pit
toilet at the trailhead). Make sure to communicate this with you group, as
most often these groups have never had to use the bathroom in the
wilderness.

*Tip—bring toilet paper and hand sanitizer—also bring plastic bags so they
can pack out the toilet paper.

EMERGENCIES & FIRST AID

Whether at a Program Center or outdoors, accidents can happen. At the
beginning of a program, the Mountaineers Program Leader should identify a
Mountaineers Instructor as the First Aid Lead, and another Mountaineers
Instructor as the Group Management Lead. The Program Leader should also
ask the Partner Agency Lead to be the 2nd First Aid Lead.

In the event of an emergency or injury, the Partner Agency Lead should
assist the designated Mountaineers First Aid Lead to work directly with the
youth involved in the emergency/injury. The designated Mountaineers Group
Management Lead is responsible for helping the rest of the group stay safe
and not get in the way of the emergency. The Mountaineers Program Leader
will then triage and assign responsibilities as needed to address the
emergency.

MOUNTAIN WORKSHOP PARTNERS (EXAMPLES)

Note: As each branch builds a new partnership, it’s a good idea to make
notes like these for reference for future volunteers and program leaders.

AKI KUROSE MIDDLE SCHOOL
Who: 7th grade classes from Aki Kurose - 1 classrooms generally 8-10
students. Culturally diverse.

What Works: Program meets 9-10 times a year. Each trip they do something
different. They love climbing, stewardship, and outdoor cooking. We have
the students from this class stay in one group

What Doesn’t Work: Trip to Camp Long - the waiver is too long for low ropes
and they aren’t able to get them done in time. Classroom visits are too short,
and you have to stick with time schedule.

Potential 2021-2022 Schedule
October – Climbing at Seattle Program Center
November - Climbing at Seattle Program Center
December - Outdoor cooking at Seattle Program Center
January – Navigation at Seattle Program Center

February – Snowshoeing at Gold Creek Basin
March – Stewardship at Discovery Park
April – Kayak in Lake Washington
May –Hike up to Rattlesnake Ridge
June – Climbing at Exit 38

BAILEY GATZERT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Who: 3rd - 5th graders from BG come 4-5 Saturdays throughout the school
year. This is a 3 way partnership with the Rotary Club of the International
District. There will be at least one teacher who are the school liaisons.

What Works: 3 way partnership makes it easy to get volunteers to staff the
program. Having a teacher act as the sign in/sign out/bus contact makes
covering liability easy. The program is relatively easy to run, just get the
dates to the school ahead of time. We go into the classrooms two weeks
before the program to get youth to sign up.

What Doesn’t Work: The teachers who are the liaisons will not have decision
making power.

Potential 2021-2022 Schedule
Trip to Camp Long

Working with the Rotary Club: Though Rotary provides volunteers, they do
not come with any liability - they become Mountaineers Qualified Youth
Leaders for this program. We’ve had someone every year as the main
contact, who gets in touch with other Rotary volunteers. They also give us a
grant for the program.